Last week, President Trump joined North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, for an official state lunch in Singapore. The meeting marked a notable moment of tentatively friendly relations between the two nations.
While the nations discussed nuclear weapons and shaped the future of international relations, someone had to cater for the occasion. What do you give the so-called leader of the free world and one of the most controversial leaders of our generation? Here's the menu from President Donald Trump's lunch with Kim Jong-un.
The starter focused on fresh produce and seafood: They were served a prawn cocktail accompanied by an avocado salad, green mango kerabu, along with fresh octopus, and stuffed cucumber. Kerabu is easy to replicate at home as its made of few ingredients and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes.
For the main course, diners - including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and White House Chief of Staff John Kelly - were given a choice of beef short rib confit, sweet and sour crispy pork and Yangzhou fried rice (a Chinese-style dish typically prepared in a wok), and soy braised cod.
Dessert offered more classic options: dark chocolate tartlet ganache, Häagen-Dazs vanilla ice cream topped with a cherry coulis, or a slice of tropezienne. Sure, Häagen-Dazs might not be most exclusive ice cream out there, but it does embody American tastes.
This lunch comes in slight contrast to the first official state dinner held at the White House in April of this year, which hosted French president Emmanuel Macron. On that occasion, the White House chose to serve American wines, while the menu featured an American dish influenced by French food - a New Orleans-style rice jambalaya.
The menu at the Singapore lunch seemed to highlight a variety of ingredients used throughout Asia. Before the two leaders sat down for lunch, President Trump and Kim Jong-un shook hands, hinting that negotiations for the “complete denuclearization” of North Korea were going to go well.
While the summit ended on a positive note, Trump says that sanctions on the country will stay in place, at least until denuclearization occurs. Regardless, President Trump did promise that Kim Jong-un can someday expect an invite to the White House. Kim being introduced to Trump's favourite delicacies is something that I would like to see.
Now, we all know what Trump thinks about himself, so rest assured that he's going to want to have final say in what gets put on the table. Chances are we'll probs see a lot of ketchup, Mar-a-Lago chocolate cake and a few burgers from some fast food joints. Made healthier with the half the bun not served.
Former New York City mayor and current Trump personal attorney Rudy Giuliani told the Washington Post a few months back that at a recent lunch together, Trump ordered a burger - one of his perennial favorites - but with only half a bun. You know, for health reasons.
Apparently, Trump’s oh-so-healthy modifications to his beloved fast food meals date back to his campaign trail days, when his standard order, according to former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, was two Mickey D’s Big Macs, two Filet-o-Fish and a chocolate milkshake— AKA a heart attack on a plastic tray.
Lewandowski told CNN “New Day” co-host Alisyn Camerota last December, “Well, he never ate the bread, which is the important part,” he said. “So it was really, you know, a couple of fish sandwiches and a couple pieces of meat and a drink.” Will Kim Jong-un be impressed with a few off-brand Big Macs considering a few and people are often comparing the two leaders? Probably.